12,377 research outputs found

    Meso-scale FDM material layout design strategies under manufacturability constraints and fracture conditions

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    In the manufacturability-driven design (MDD) perspective, manufacturability of the product or system is the most important of the design requirements. In addition to being able to ensure that complex designs (e.g., topology optimization) are manufacturable with a given process or process family, MDD also helps mechanical designers to take advantage of unique process-material effects generated during manufacturing. One of the most recognizable examples of this comes from the scanning-type family of additive manufacturing (AM) processes; the most notable and familiar member of this family is the fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF) process. This process works by selectively depositing uniform, approximately isotropic beads or elements of molten thermoplastic material (typically structural engineering plastics) in a series of pre-specified traces to build each layer of the part. There are many interesting 2-D and 3-D mechanical design problems that can be explored by designing the layout of these elements. The resulting structured, hierarchical material (which is both manufacturable and customized layer-by-layer within the limits of the process and material) can be defined as a manufacturing process-driven structured material (MPDSM). This dissertation explores several practical methods for designing these element layouts for 2-D and 3-D meso-scale mechanical problems, focusing ultimately on design-for-fracture. Three different fracture conditions are explored: (1) cases where a crack must be prevented or stopped, (2) cases where the crack must be encouraged or accelerated, and (3) cases where cracks must grow in a simple pre-determined pattern. Several new design tools, including a mapping method for the FDM manufacturability constraints, three major literature reviews, the collection, organization, and analysis of several large (qualitative and quantitative) multi-scale datasets on the fracture behavior of FDM-processed materials, some new experimental equipment, and the refinement of a fast and simple g-code generator based on commercially-available software, were developed and refined to support the design of MPDSMs under fracture conditions. The refined design method and rules were experimentally validated using a series of case studies (involving both design and physical testing of the designs) at the end of the dissertation. Finally, a simple design guide for practicing engineers who are not experts in advanced solid mechanics nor process-tailored materials was developed from the results of this project.U of I OnlyAuthor's request

    Corporate Social Responsibility: the institutionalization of ESG

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    Understanding the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on firm performance as it relates to industries reliant on technological innovation is a complex and perpetually evolving challenge. To thoroughly investigate this topic, this dissertation will adopt an economics-based structure to address three primary hypotheses. This structure allows for each hypothesis to essentially be a standalone empirical paper, unified by an overall analysis of the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance. The first hypothesis explores the evolution of CSR to the modern quantified iteration of ESG has led to the institutionalization and standardization of the CSR concept. The second hypothesis fills gaps in existing literature testing the relationship between firm performance and ESG by finding that the relationship is significantly positive in long-term, strategic metrics (ROA and ROIC) and that there is no correlation in short-term metrics (ROE and ROS). Finally, the third hypothesis states that if a firm has a long-term strategic ESG plan, as proxied by the publication of CSR reports, then it is more resilience to damage from controversies. This is supported by the finding that pro-ESG firms consistently fared better than their counterparts in both financial and ESG performance, even in the event of a controversy. However, firms with consistent reporting are also held to a higher standard than their nonreporting peers, suggesting a higher risk and higher reward dynamic. These findings support the theory of good management, in that long-term strategic planning is both immediately economically beneficial and serves as a means of risk management and social impact mitigation. Overall, this contributes to the literature by fillings gaps in the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance, particularly from a management perspective

    Exploring the Training Factors that Influence the Role of Teaching Assistants to Teach to Students With SEND in a Mainstream Classroom in England

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    With the implementation of inclusive education having become increasingly valued over the years, the training of Teaching Assistants (TAs) is now more important than ever, given that they work alongside pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (hereinafter SEND) in mainstream education classrooms. The current study explored the training factors that influence the role of TAs when it comes to teaching SEND students in mainstream classrooms in England during their one-year training period. This work aimed to increase understanding of how the training of TAs is seen to influence the development of their personal knowledge and professional skills. The study has significance for our comprehension of the connection between the TAsā€™ training and the quality of education in the classroom. In addition, this work investigated whether there existed a correlation between the teaching experience of TAs and their background information, such as their gender, age, grade level taught, years of teaching experience, and qualification level. A critical realist theoretical approach was adopted for this two-phased study, which involved the mixing of adaptive and grounded theories respectively. The multi-method project featured 13 case studies, each of which involved a trainee TA, his/her college tutor, and the classroom teacher who was supervising the trainee TA. The analysis was based on using semi-structured interviews, various questionnaires, and non-participant observation methods for each of these case studies during the TAā€™s one-year training period. The primary analysis of the research was completed by comparing the various kinds of data collected from the participants in the first and second data collection stages of each case. Further analysis involved cross-case analysis using a grounded theory approach, which made it possible to draw conclusions and put forth several core propositions. Compared with previous research, the findings of the current study reveal many implications for the training and deployment conditions of TAs, while they also challenge the prevailing approaches in many aspects, in addition to offering more diversified, enriched, and comprehensive explanations of the critical pedagogical issues

    ā€œNeeded but lackedā€: Exploring demand- and supply-side determinants of access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for the lay public in China

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    BackgroundDespite years of public cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training efforts, the training rate and survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have increased modestly in China. Access is imperative to increase the public CPR training rate, which is determined by both demand- (e.g., the lay public) and supply-side (e.g., CPR trainers) factors. We aimed to explore the demand and supply determinants of access to CPR training for the lay public in China.MethodsQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 77 laypeople (demand side) and eight key stakeholders from CPR training institutions (supply side) in Shanghai, China. The interview guide was informed by Levesque et al. healthcare access framework. Data were transcribed, quantified, described, and analyzed through thematic content analysis.ResultsOn the demand side, the laypeople's ability to perceive their need and willingness for CPR training was strong. However, they failed to access CPR training mainly due to the lack of information on where to get trained. Overestimation of skills, optimism bias, and misconceptions impeded laypeople from attending training. On the supply side, trainers were able to meet the needs of the trainees with existing resources, but they relied on participants who actively sought out and registered for training and lacked an understanding of the needs of the public for marketing and encouraging participation in the training.ConclusionInsufficient information and lack of initiative on the demand side, lack of motivation, and understanding of public needs on the supply side all contributed to the persistently low CPR training rate in China. Suppliers should integrate resources, take the initiative to increase the CPR training rate, innovate training modes, expand correct publicity, and establish whole-process management of training programs

    Lift EVERY Voice and Sing: An Intersectional Qualitative Study Examining the Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Faculty and Administrators at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

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    While there is minimal literature that address the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans* identified students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the experiences of Black, queer faculty and administrators at HBCUs has not been studied. This intersectional qualitative research study focused on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer identified faculty and administrators who work at HBCUs. By investigating the intersections of religion, race, gender, and sexuality within a predominantly Black institution, this study aims to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at HBCUs by sharing the experiences of the LGBQ faculty and administrators that previously or currently work at an HBCU as a full-time employee. The research questions that guided this study were 1) How have LGBQ faculty and staff negotiated/navigated their careers at HBCUs? and 2) How do LGBQ faculty and staff at HBCUs influence cultural (relating to LGBQ inclusion) change at the organizational level? The main theoretical framework used was intersectionality and it shaped the chosen methodology and methods. The Politics of Respectability was the second theoretical framework used to describe the intra-racial tensions within the Black/African American community. The study included 60-120 minute interviews with 12 participants. Using intersectionality as a guide, the data were coded and utilized for thematic analysis. Then, an ethnodramatic performance engages readers. The goals of this study were to encourage policy changes, promote inclusivity for LGBQ employees at HBCUs, and provide an expansion to the body of literature in the field pertaining to the experiences of LGBQ faculty and administrators in higher education

    The Impact of EU Aid on the Trade Performance between the EU and Vietnam [vĆ©dĆ©s előtt]

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    Based on a quantitative method, the finding of this study is consistent with other empirical work in explaining bilateral trade variation using gravity model. - Economic size has strong influence on trade as high economic growth together with high income will increase the demand for importing goods. - However, it is interesting to note that the negative coefficient of market size is more or less different trend with other papers. - The distance variable turns out with unexpected sign and insignificant, it may be because there are still other unexplained variables beside the distance such as specific trade agreements, trade barriers, tariff duties, and exchange rates. - The regression results support that EU aid has been an insignificant determinant of trade performance between the EU and Vietnam. - Similarly, there were insignificant result of Pearson correlation coefficient between EU ODA disbursement and Vietnamā€™s GDP growth and between EU ODA disbursement and total trade of the EU and Vietnam. Thus, there is not enough evidence to support the relationship between EU aid and the trade outcomes between the EU and Vietnam. Based on a qualitative method, the present research found that - EU ODA and EU AfT practices in Vietnam have not been linked directly to contemporary Vietnamese economic development and trade outcomes. Most their aid is allocated to social sectors and focuses on sustainable development but Vietnam requires capital accumulation in order to take-off or industrialize. - The EU aid failed to serve its unconcealed purpose of being a big push for Vietnamā€™s economy. As the EU aid disbursement to Vietnam was a low amount compared with other external capital and this aid was diversely allocated. A large part of EU aid was not directly to the productive sectors and covered the saving investment gap in Vietnam. - It is partly proven by the contribution of the EU-MUTRAP for the results of EFVTA negotiation and implementation. During the EVFTA negotiation process, EU-MUTRAP supported many related activities to inform EVFTA discussions, promote EVFTA rounds and to reach conclusions. Obviously, these activities exerted influence on the achievements of the EVFTA process. Nevertheless, enhancing Vietnam trade capacity can be seen as an indirect method of influencing EVFTA by the EU-MUTRAP. The EU-MUTRAP implemented the effective methods of decentralized aid project management and coordination mechanisms, making use of local experts, cost cutting, evaluation reports, and research and publications that can attract diverse actors from both sides. - Combining with EVFTA, the EU-MUTRAP provides a foundation for the imminent EVFTA. The effective method of delivering EU aid in the EU-MUTRAP project is enhancing human resources in Vietnam, especially those involved in the realm of trade and trade policy. However, weaknesses in the links between EU-MUTRAP and the EVFTA process include the lack of funding and supervision for sub-projects, and weak exchanges of information between stakeholders. Both sides may focus on tightening criteria for the selection of project beneficiaries, strengthening activities in the business community and improving the diversification of implementation methods. - The project could include the more directed substance of EVFTA in its activities, while supporting the business sector in preparing for the impact of the FTA between Vietnam and the EU. Furthermore, the selected case illustrated that the EU donors involved largely in aid management process from the design stage to evaluate and control stage of their projects in Vietnam. Based on their own benefits and priorities, the EU donors interfered to allocate aid to various sectors in Vietnam. - The EU AfT was given to Vietnam with conditions on policy. Therefore, the EU aid could not target capital accumulation in investment and the manufacturing industry in Vietnam. EU aid allocated to trade growth in Vietnam that do not directly simulate Vietnamese economic growth

    Exploring experiences of ā€˜inclusiveā€™ education in international schools from the perspective of parents who have children labeled with SEN/D

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    This thesis reports on a study that explored experiences of ā€˜inclusiveā€™ education in international schools from the perspective of parents who have children labeled with SEN/D. I interviewed ten parents who had enrolled their child with an SEN/D label in an international school in Amman, Jordan. I analyzed this data within a critical disability studies theoretical framework to highlight the relations to neoliberalism, neocolonialism, and ableism. This approach enabled an analysis of how parents revealed support for different ideas within disability studies. This analysis highlighted their contradictions and resistance to previous understandings of disability, inclusion, and SEN/D. I analyzed the data in relation to literature from three distinct fields of scholarship: disability studies, international schooling, and school choice literature. By bringing together these three divergent fields, a novel and significant contribution to knowledge forms. The purpose of bringing together these three fields, and completing this study using a critical disability studies theoretical framework, was to highlight the unique concerns of parents of children labeled with SEN/D within the international school market and the formative processes these parents experience in relation to their desire to school their children across ā€˜inclusiveā€™ international schools. The findings from the study indicate that while parents of SEN/D children do experience exclusion repeatedly across multiple international schools which market themselves as ā€˜inclusive,ā€™ they largely accept this as part of the process and believe that exclusion was a necessary part of international schools being inclusive

    A Case Study Examining Japanese University Students' Digital Literacy and Perceptions of Digital Tools for Academic English learning

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    Current Japanese youth are constantly connected to the Internet and using digital devices, but predominantly for social media and entertainment. According to literature on the Japanese digital native, tertiary students do notā€”and cannotā€”use technology with any reasonable fluency, but the likely reasons are rarely addressed. To fill the gap in the literature, this study, by employing a case study methodology, explores studentsā€™ experience with technology for English learning through the introduction of digital tools. First-year Japanese university students in an Academic English Program (AEP) were introduced to a variety of easily available digital tools. The instruction was administered online, and each tool was accompanied by a task directly related to classwork. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in the form of a pre-course Computer Literacy Survey, a post-course open-ended Reflection Activity survey, and interviews. The qualitative data was reviewed drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and its educational variants as an analytical framework. Educational, social, and cultural factors were also examined to help identify underlying factors that would influence studentsā€™ perceptions. The results suggest that the subjectsā€™ lack of awareness of, and experience with, the use of technology for learning are the fundamental causes of their perceptions of initial difficulty. Based on these findings, this study proposes a possible technology integration model that enhances digital literacy for more effective language learning in the context of Japanese education

    Management controls, government regulations, customer involvement: Evidence from a Chinese family-owned business

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    This research reports on a case study of a family-owned elevator manufacturing company in China, where management control was sandwiched between the state policies and global customer production requirements. By analysing the role of government and customer, this thesis aimed to illustrate how management control operated in a family-owned business and to see how and why they do management control differently. In particular, it focused on how international production standards and existing Chinese industry policies translated into a set of the management control practices through a local network within the family-owned business I studied. Based on an ethnographic approach to research, I spent six months in the field, conducted over 30 interviews, several conservations, and reviewed relevant internal documents to understand how management control (MC) techniques with humans cooperated in the company. I also understood how two layers of pressure have shaped company behaviour, and how a company located in a developing country is connecting with global network. I also found there is considerable tension among key actors and investigated how the company responded and managed it. Drawing on Actor Network Theory (ANT), I analysed the interviews from key actors, examined the role of government regulations and customer requirements to see how management control being managed under two layers of pressure, i.e., the government regulations (e.g., labour, tax, environment control) and customer requirement (e.g., quality and production control). Management controls were an obligatory passage point (OPP), and transformation of those elements of Western production requirements and government requirements arrived at the Chinese local factory and influenced management control and budgeting. The findings suggest that management control systems are not only a set of technical procedures, but it is also about managing tensions. This understanding shows a linear perspective on MC practices rather than a social perspective. However, when we use ANT as a theoretical perspective, we see those actors who, being obliged and sandwiched, and controlled by external forces for them to follow. Consequently, human actors must work in an unavoidable OPP. This is the tension they face which constructed mundane practices of MC. Hence, MCs are managing such tensions. This study contributes to management control research by analysing management controls in terms of OPP, extends our understanding by illustrating the role of the government and customers, and our understanding of family-owned business from a management controls perspective in a developing country

    Public-Private Participation in Funding University Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Nigerian Case-Study for Sustainable Development

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    The developing countries in Africa still cannot withstand the pressure of the highly competitive global education market. Together with the large numbers of people who make a living in various innovative companies, these countries have solved key contemporary issues affecting global education. For this reason, it is necessary to actively respond to current technological innovation and educational challenges and to eliminate new technology graduates who can effectively interact with students through the responsive expansion of education and training. Expansion of education can produce effective expansion that promotes educational development, but due to budget constraints, most African governments cannot successfully and sustainably implement such educational programs. This is difficult. However, public-private partnership efforts provide a way out of this financial dilemma. The Sub-Saharan Africa initiative has achieved important educational objectives, such as: ensuring relevance for quality; secure funding for sustainability and establish resource mobilization partnerships and connections; and promote international cooperation. This discussion is relevant to the basic conditions for a successful public-private partnership with educational institutions and extended education and sheds light on the impact, lessons, and challenges. The public is increasingly concerned about the importance of higher education in the 21st century. This chapter explores some of the key functions of an innovative education system that supports the development of education in Nigeria and enhances peopleā€™s ability to use information. Nigeriaā€™s education system re-emphasizes the importance of public and private universities, but the country does not have a sustainable education system and well-equipped educational institutions to support peopleā€™s ability to use information, learning, education, and research activities
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